Ashthon Jones: 'I had to leave the tears on the stage'

Ashthon Jones cried Thursday night as she finished singing her last song on American Idol, but the 24-year-old singer from Nashville, says she left her tears on the stage. "I cried because I was leaving my friends and leaving the stage, leaving the judges," Idol's first eliminated finalist told USA TODAY Friday, but she didn't cry afterwards. "I couldn't stay in that moment. I had to leave the tears on the stage and keep going. I've made it this far, and this is only the beginning."

Jones, one of three wild-card contestants selected by the judges to compete in the Idol finals, calls her experience on the show "an emotional rollercoaster, in a good and, sometimes, not-so-good way. But I am so thankful that I got to do American Idol in the best season ever."

Jones says she began to expect her remaining time on the show might be short when the judges used one of their wild-card picks on her last week.

"I knew then that I didn't have as many fans as the others did," she says. Thursday, when she heard the judges' comments about her performance of Diana Ross' When You Tell Me That You Love Me, she expected she would be eliminated. "They had some nice things to say, but then they said something about my song choice and how that might affect my votes.

"I still kept the faith. I kept saying, 'It's going to be OK. I'm going to stay. Even if I don't, I know God's got a bigger plan for me.'"

Randy Jackson compared Jones to Ross during the season, but, she says, he wasn't the first person to do so. Jones started following Ross' music a few years ago when the comparisons first started. But she hadn't heard When You Tell Me That You Love Me, a minor 1991 single for the former Supreme, until Idol.

"I was like, 'This hasn't been a hit?'" she says. "It was a big song. There was something about the lyrics that said, 'This is my song, this is it right here.'"

Had she stayed on Idol, Jones says she might have dipped back into the Dreamgirls book (she sang And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going during the Hollywood round). "I feel like they fit my voice," she says. "I really wanted to do the Temptations' Ain't Too Proud to Beg. But that's all right; I'm cool with it."

Jones says she expects to return to Nashville next week. The first thing she plans to do when she gets back home? "I'm going to cook some fried chicken. I cannot wait to eat some Southern food."

Jones also spoke with reporters during a media conference call Friday. In the following edited transcript of that call, Jones discusses her song choice, the thrill of performing and future plans.

Q: You were a runaway when you were 15 and turned your life around. Nowadays, you're a store manager in Nashville and a prize-winning singer. Tell us what it was that turned your life around.

A: I had a lot of things go on in my life when I was younger. My birth father passed away when I was 14, and I had some crazy things going on and left home. I was gone for over 2 ½ years, and it was life changing. When I finally got back to my family, I got saved and became a Christian and turned my life around and immediately started doing positive things. Just from that experience, it has made me a better person. That's just the tip of the iceberg of what I've been through, but I never wear that on my shoulder.

Q: Are you going back to your store job in Nashville?

A: No, sir! I left it there, and I left it there to stay. I've worked and worked and worked all my life, and now it's time for me to be the artist and the performer that God put in me a long time ago.

Q: What do you think America was missing about you during the Top 24 round?

A: I don't know, I was thinking the same thing! I just wanted people to see my personality, and I don't really think they showed it as much as I wanted them to. But it was okay, because everything happened for a reason. I'm kind of glad the judges saw that personality of a diva, but I didn't want the world to see me as a diva, like I think I'm all that. I wanted them to see that the confidence I had came from God and that's it. I had faith and confidence in myself. I was never timid on stage. I always like to engage the crowd and dance with them and have confidence.

Q: If you could go back, would you have chosen a different Diana Ross song?

A: Actually, as I look back at it now—at first I was like "Ah, I shouldn't have chosen that song"—but as I look back at it now, I chose that song for a reason. I listened to all of the Diana Ross songs, and that one for some reason spoke to me. It ministered to me in a way that I related it to my life and my experiences and my faith and the love that I have around me, all of my fans and my family. The lyrics are what spoke to me, you how you listen to a Mariah Carey song, the Hero song. It was the same feeling when I heard that song: "Every time you touch me, I become a hero." And for Jimmy Iovine and Rodney Jerkins to turn it into such a current R&B song, I just thought it was amazing.

Q: What was the best piece of advice you received from one of the judges?

A: Jennifer always had something real to say that came straight from her spirit. She always told me, "You're amazing, you're going to go far, don't stop. I know you've got it, I see it."

Last night she told me, "It's all about the songs in the music business. Even when you get that first record, make sure it's a hit before you put it out, because that's what America is going to notice and remember and they're never going to go away."

Q: If you were to describe Steven Tyler in one word, what would it be?

A: "Fabulous." He was fabulous from his clothes to his shoes to everything. What he said—he did not care what people thought, he said exactly what he felt, and, for the most part, it was true. Behind the scenes, he was the most humble and sweet person. Humble.

Q: What kind of personal relationships did you make with the other contestants?

A: We were best friends. I lift them up, they lift me up, I can come cry on their shoulder, they can come cry on mine, and that's what a best friend is. That's what it's all about, having people around you that are positive.

Q: Any specific producers you'd like to work with in the future?

A: I really enjoyed working with Rodney Jerkins and Jimmy Iovine. They brought me into a place that I never knew I could go to. They had me singing notes that I couldn't even hit before.

I also followed Monica, I would love to meet Diana Ross. Berry Gordy was there, and if he has anything for me to do, I don't care what it is, I would do it and I would be happy to.

Q: Is there any stigma to being the first person voted off?

A: It's not always a bad thing to be the first person. It can be a good thing, because everything I went through on the show now I'm going to take it and put it toward my career. I feel like it was all in God's timing. Something great is what I feel in my spirit right now. I can't wait to see what's going to happen?

Q: What do you think it takes to find success post-Idol?

A: That's an interesting question, because I always have to remind myself that some of the greatest that didn't even win and are doing well and are comfortable in their careers—millionaires, doing great, awesome. I constantly had to remind myself of that. That kept me sane and kept me driven.

I have a wonderful feeling about—there's going to be opportunity that's going to be there for me. I want to buy my mom a house. I want my family to never have to worry about anything. I just want to have an amazing career in music, because I love to do it. I don't want to struggle anymore. I don't want to feel pain anymore. I just want to show the world who I am, and let everybody know, don't stop. I want people to see me and say, "Hey, she's my idol anyway."

Q: I know Casey Abrams was in the hospital. … How stressful is being on Idol?

A: I love Casey so much and our prayers go out for him. I don't know what's going on, but I'm sure he's going to be okay. I prayed for him.

It can be stressful if you make it stressful. You have to stay grounded, and that's why I believe in God so much.

Q: Do you see yourself winning a Grammy, being a big, big artist?

A: It's possible. You can't really say, "Oh, I'm going to do that." But I'm a big believer in speaking yourself into existence. If I speak that in my spirit every day, it's going happen, because when you speak it, you're constantly driving yourself. So, yes, I believe that I am going to have a Grammy, I believe that something great is going to come out of this experience.

Q: Did you suspect you would be in the bottom three, or was it a surprise?

A: It wasn't a surprise. I had one of those feelings, where there are so many talented people on the show, and I was still a part of those people. It didn't crush me at all. It just means that I had the least votes. I am just honored to be on the show with superstars, and they said the same about me, and it touched my heart. My little fan base will stick by my side. It's about finding your lane and finding who you are.

Q: Did you think the judges would use the save on you?

A: I felt in my spirit that it was time to go. I went to the hair and makeup ladies and said I wanted a mohawk. I'm usually in dresses with my hair poufed out and I said, "Pin my hair up, I'm going to have a good time." Whatever happens, I'm going to go out with a bang, do the group number, watch the concert, and that's what I did.

Q: Did you get to party with Diddy?

A: No, you know how Diddy is. You know, he's got his thing going on. Right now, I've got to focus on me and getting to that Diddy position.

Q: Who do you predict will go far in the competition?

A: I predict that all of them will go far in their careers.

Q: Did you get a chance to meet and talk to Berry Gordy?

A: No, I didn't. I got a wink from him and one of those smiles, and that's all I needed. I hope I made him proud. I hope he saw the differences that I brought to the song. I didn't try to do it like Diana, I tried to do it differently. There were probably some notes that I would have done differently, but I don't take the experience back. I'm very proud and happy on the outcome.

Q: What was your most memorable moment on American Idol?

A: Every time I got on the stage. It was something about the stage. For some reason, every time I got on stage I felt like I could conquer the world. The confidence came out.

I didn't want America to take that in a weird way, but that's who I am, this sweet person, humble backstage, goofy, corny, have fun, kick it. But when I get on the stage, something else. The lights, the cameras, the 30 million people watching, the audience, the judges … it was an amazing experience and I hope that I can continue to do that for the people that are my fans.

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About Brian Mansfield

Nashville-based Brian Mansfield began writing about music for USA TODAY in 1997 and took over Idol Chatter just before the start of Season 8. He co-authored Make Me a Star: Industry Insiders Reveal How to Make It in Music, and while he has never auditioned for American Idol, he did sing Boot Scootin' Boogie at Disney World's American Idol Experience the day the attraction opened (he lost). More about Brian | E-mail Brian